Day 193 of 730

¹Now Jehoshaphat had riches and honor in abundance; and he joined affinity with Ahab.

²After certain years he went down to Ahab to Samaria. Ahab killed sheep and cattle for him in abundance, and for the people who were with him, and moved him to go up with him to Ramoth Gilead.

³Ahab king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, "Will you go with me to Ramoth Gilead?" He answered him, "I am as you are, and my people as your people. We will be with you in the war."

⁴Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, "Please inquire first for the word of the Lord."

⁵Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, four hundred men, and said to them, "Shall we go to Ramoth Gilead to battle, or shall I forbear?" They said, "Go up; for God will deliver it into the hand of the king."

⁶But Jehoshaphat said, "Isn't there here a prophet of the Lord besides, that we may inquire of him?"

⁷The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the Lord; but I hate him, for he never prophesies good concerning me, but always evil. He is Micaiah the son of Imla." Jehoshaphat said, "Do not let the king say so."

⁸Then the king of Israel called an officer, and said, "Get Micaiah the son of Imla quickly."

⁹Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah sat each on his throne, arrayed in their robes, and they were sitting in an open place at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets were prophesying before them.

¹⁰Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made him horns of iron, and said, "Thus says the Lord, 'With these you shall push the Syrians, until they are consumed.'"

¹¹All the prophets prophesied so, saying, "Go up to Ramoth Gilead, and prosper; for the Lord will deliver it into the hand of the king."

¹²The messenger who went to call Micaiah spoke to him, saying, "Behold, the words of the prophets declare good to the king with one mouth. Let your word therefore, please be like one of theirs, and speak good."

¹³Micaiah said, "As the Lord lives, what my God says, that will I speak."

¹⁴When he had come to the king, the king said to him, "Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth Gilead to battle, or shall I forbear?" He said, "Go up, and prosper. They shall be delivered into your hand."

¹⁵The king said to him, "How many times shall I adjure you that you speak to me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?"

¹⁶He said, "I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd. The Lord said, 'These have no master. Let them return every man to his house in peace.'"

¹⁷The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?"

¹⁸Micaiah said, "Therefore hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, and all the army of heaven standing on his right hand and on his left.

¹⁹The Lord said, 'Who shall entice Ahab king of Israel, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth Gilead?' One spoke saying in this way, and another saying in that way.

²⁰A spirit came out, stood before the Lord, and said, 'I will entice him.' "The Lord said to him, 'How?'

²¹"He said, 'I will go forth, and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.' "He said, 'You will entice him, and will prevail also. Go forth, and do so.'

²²"Now therefore, behold, the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth of these your prophets; and the Lord has pronounced disaster concerning you."

²³Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near, and struck Micaiah on the cheek, and said, "Which way did the Spirit of the Lord go from me to speak to you?"

²⁴Micaiah said, "Behold, you shall see on that day, when you shall go into an inner room to hide yourself."

²⁵The king of Israel said, "Take Micaiah, and carry him back to Amon the governor of the city, and to Joash the king's son;

²⁶and say, 'Thus says the king, "Put this fellow in the prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and with water of affliction, until I return in peace."'"

²⁷Micaiah said, "If you return at all in peace, the Lord has not spoken by me." He said, "Listen, you peoples, all of you!"

²⁸So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramoth Gilead.

²⁹The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "I will disguise myself, and go into the battle; but you put on your robes." So the king of Israel disguised himself; and they went into the battle.

³⁰Now the king of Syria had commanded the captains of his chariots, saying, "Fight neither with small nor great, except only with the king of Israel."

³¹It happened, when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, that they said, "It is the king of Israel!" Therefore they turned around to fight against him. But Jehoshaphat cried out, and the Lord helped him; and God moved them to depart from him.

³²It happened, when the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, that they turned back from pursuing him.

³³A certain man drew his bow at random, and struck the king of Israel between the joints of the armor. Therefore he said to the driver of the chariot, "Turn your hand, and carry me out of the army; for I am severely wounded."

³⁴The battle increased that day. However the king of Israel propped himself up in his chariot against the Syrians until the evening; and about the time of the going down of the sun, he died.

¹Jehoshaphat the king of Judah returned to his house in peace to Jerusalem.

²Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to king Jehoshaphat, "Should you help the wicked, and love those who hate the Lord? Because of this, wrath is on you from before the Lord.

³Nevertheless there are good things found in you, in that you have put away the Asheroth out of the land, and have set your heart to seek God."

⁴Jehoshaphat lived at Jerusalem: and he went out again among the people from Beersheba to the hill country of Ephraim, and brought them back to the Lord, the God of their fathers.

⁵He set judges in the land throughout all the fortified cities of Judah, city by city,

⁶and said to the judges, "Consider what you do: for you do not judge for man, but for the Lord; and he is with you in the judgment.

⁷Now therefore let the fear of the Lord be on you. Take heed and do it: for there is no iniquity with the Lord our God, nor respect of persons, nor taking of bribes."

⁸Moreover in Jerusalem Jehoshaphat appointed Levites and priests, and of the heads of the fathers' households of Israel, for the judgment of the Lord, and for controversies. They returned to Jerusalem.

⁹He commanded them, saying, "Thus you shall do in the fear of the Lord, faithfully, and with a perfect heart.

¹⁰Whenever any controversy shall come to you from your brothers who dwell in their cities, between blood and blood, between law and commandment, statutes and ordinances, you shall warn them, that they not be guilty towards the Lord, and so wrath come on you and on your brothers. Do this, and you shall not be guilty.

¹¹Behold, Amariah the chief priest is over you in all matters of the Lord; and Zebadiah the son of Ishmael, the ruler of the house of Judah, in all the king's matters: also the Levites shall be officers before you. Deal courageously, and may the Lord be with the good."

¹Vindicate me, God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation. Oh, deliver me from deceitful and wicked men.

²For you are the God of my strength. Why have you rejected me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?

³Oh, send out your light and your truth. Let them lead me. Let them bring me to your holy hill, To your tents.

⁴Then I will go to the altar of God, to God, my exceeding joy. I will praise you on the harp, God, my God.

⁵Why are you in despair, my soul? Why are you disturbed within me? Hope in God! For I shall still praise him: my Savior, my helper, and my God.

¹My son, keep my words. Lay up my commandments within you.

²Keep my commandments and live! Guard my teaching as the apple of your eye.

³Bind them on your fingers. Write them on the tablet of your heart.

⁴Tell wisdom, "You are my sister." Call understanding your relative,

⁵that they may keep you from the strange woman, from the foreigner who flatters with her words.

⁶For at the window of my house, I looked out through my lattice.

⁷I saw among the simple ones. I discerned among the youths a young man void of understanding,

⁸passing through the street near her corner, he went the way to her house,

⁹in the twilight, in the evening of the day, in the middle of the night and in the darkness.

¹⁰Behold, there a woman met him with the attire of a prostitute, and with crafty intent.

¹¹She is loud and defiant. Her feet do not stay in her house.

¹²Now she is in the streets, now in the squares, and lurking at every corner.

¹³So she caught him, and kissed him. With an impudent face she said to him:

¹⁴"Sacrifices of peace offerings are with me. This day I have paid my vows.

¹⁵Therefore I came out to meet you, to diligently seek your face, and I have found you.

¹⁶I have spread my couch with carpets of tapestry, with striped cloths of the yarn of Egypt.

¹⁷I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.

¹⁸Come, let's take our fill of loving until the morning. Let's solace ourselves with loving.

¹⁹For my husband isn't at home. He has gone on a long journey.

²⁰He has taken a bag of money with him. He will come home at the full moon."

²¹With persuasive words, she led him astray. With the flattering of her lips, she seduced him.

²²He followed her immediately, as an ox goes to the slaughter, as a fool stepping into a noose.

²³Until an arrow strikes through his liver, as a bird hurries to the snare, and doesn't know that it will cost his life.

²⁴Now therefore, sons, listen to me. Pay attention to the words of my mouth.

²⁵Do not let your heart turn to her ways. Do not go astray in her paths,

²⁶for she has thrown down many wounded. Yes, all her slain are a mighty army.

²⁷Her house is the way to Sheol, going down to the chambers of death.